Collector Of Book Boyfriends

Avery Rylee never went to her high school prom. It is one of her biggest life regrets. Now, at the age of twenty-four, Avery has many more regrets. She is stuck in a rut with her career and she has just been dumped by her fiance. After a night of cheap wine and hitting rock bottom, all Avery wants to do is lie in bed at home with a gallon of ice cream, but her three best friends have other ideas. They have planned a cross country road trip to a prom to help Avery start over. Step one is an Ex-Bachelorette Party in Vegas to help Avery try and forget her ex-fiance. Instead of forgetting him, though Avery finds herself the star of her own web series. As a result, she goes on a filmed hunt across America to find a prom dress, a hot date, and a pair of amazing shoes. Will Avery be able to heal her heartbreak, survive internet reality show fame, and have the perfect prom?

Prom Stories and the Idea Behind Crashing Prom

I know I’m not the only girl who loves prom stories. That’s obvious by the fact that prom stories show up all over the place in TV, movies, and books. There’s just something magical about that high school dance. Even the guys I’ve talked to about prom have a story about it. I find that interesting. Most guys I know now could care less about things like dances. Still, if you ask them about their prom some of them have really strong thoughts about it, especially if their date hooked up with another guy. Eek! Drama!

Prom is usually one of the go to places for things to happen in YA books. That is why I wanted to write a NA book with prom at its center. It’s a little different and to me that sounded interesting.

So, I started to think about my own experiences and my prom story. I went to my prom with a friend. It was just okay. I actually remember talking to my friend in the bathroom about it and how prom had been overhyped. She agreed with me, which surprised me. She was there with her ex-boyfriend, who she totally kept making out with, so in some ways her night was actually going way better than mine even though she didn’t think it was the perfect magical night either. In the end my date and I did have fun, but it was just alright. I really wish I could have gone with a guy I was head over heels for. Then it would have been amazing. I wanted that prom moment. Heck, I’d still like it. I think everyone planning for their prom wants that outcome.

So, to me, it seems like you’d want the same things from your prom, no matter what your age. You’d want the dress, the shoes, the limo, and the totally amazing hot date. I even googled more prom stories just to see other opinions and experiences. There’s fake proms for adults thrown in Los Angeles. You literally pretend you’re going to prom. I also found some news articles about a retirement home having a prom. See? You’re really never too old for prom!

So, I decided. Crashing Prom was going to be about how my main character, Avery Rylee, got to her prom and all of the fun things that go with it, even though she was twenty-four and well past prom age. It’s a prom story, but it’s about the journey to the prom. Maybe that’s why prom is so huge in our minds. It is the last dance of high school. It’s the end of an era, a celebration of it really, since it’s usually just weeks before graduation. Our high school experience was the journey to it. It’s all about getting there and, of course, having the best night ever!

MILDA HARRIS has a dog named after a piece of candy (Licorice), was once hit by a tree (seriously), and wears hot pink sunglasses (why not?). She is the young adult author of Doppelganger, Adventures in Funeral Crashing, Adventures of a Graveyard Girl, The New Girl Who Found A Dead Body, and Connected: A Paranormal Romance. She also works in production on television shows like Austin & Ally, Hannah Montana, and That’s So Raven.